IMDb RATING
5.1/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
A family moves to a suburban town only to be coerced into joining a suspicious club.A family moves to a suburban town only to be coerced into joining a suspicious club.A family moves to a suburban town only to be coerced into joining a suspicious club.
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 1 nomination total
Patty McCormack
- Mary Peterson
- (as Patricia McCormack)
Anne Marie McEvoy
- Janie
- (as Annemarie McEvoy)
Gino De Mauro
- Jimmy
- (as Gino DeMauro)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMichael Berryman and Nicholas Worth, both employees of the movie's villainous location Steaming Springs, worked with director Wes Craven before. Berryman became iconic in Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (and later the sequel) and Worth played a henchman transformed into a monster in Swamp Thing.
- GoofsA pull wire is visible when Matt Winslow shoots Tom Peterson with a laser beam, throwing him back.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Bad Movie Night Podcast: Invitation to Hell (1984) (2020)
Featured review
Bizarre Film Filled With Plot Holes and Obvious Twists
A man (Robert Urich) get a promotion and moves his family to an isolated community. Here there are a different way of doing things, and a local country club dominates the lives of the citizens... with more going on than meets the eye.
Although this film is entertaining to a point, its made-for-TV origins limit the fun Craven could have had with sex and blood... this film is quite tame, and completely bizarre. Don't ask too many questions about how the plot works, or you'll go crazy.
Mike Mayo nails it on the head when he says, "A capable cast can't compete with goofy plot revelations", and laments that the film "lacks the subversive excesses of his early films". It's true. Maybe this is a swipe at exclusive clubs or yuppies, but it's just toothless. And the biggest plot revelation is revealed in the first minute of the film...
Michael Berryman has a small cameo, and Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster) has some memorable lines and moments, including one with a bunny. If you're waiting for a creepy scene, the closest you come is during a sleepover. And Susan Lucci? The DVD box calls her a "sexy director"... I guess "sexy" meant something else in 1984.
This film could be ranked as Wes Craven's oddest film, and makes a good drinking picture for you and some friends. I suspect most people have never heard of it, and I doubt that Craven really tries to get people to notice.
Although this film is entertaining to a point, its made-for-TV origins limit the fun Craven could have had with sex and blood... this film is quite tame, and completely bizarre. Don't ask too many questions about how the plot works, or you'll go crazy.
Mike Mayo nails it on the head when he says, "A capable cast can't compete with goofy plot revelations", and laments that the film "lacks the subversive excesses of his early films". It's true. Maybe this is a swipe at exclusive clubs or yuppies, but it's just toothless. And the biggest plot revelation is revealed in the first minute of the film...
Michael Berryman has a small cameo, and Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster) has some memorable lines and moments, including one with a bunny. If you're waiting for a creepy scene, the closest you come is during a sleepover. And Susan Lucci? The DVD box calls her a "sexy director"... I guess "sexy" meant something else in 1984.
This film could be ranked as Wes Craven's oddest film, and makes a good drinking picture for you and some friends. I suspect most people have never heard of it, and I doubt that Craven really tries to get people to notice.
helpful•185
- gavin6942
- Sep 28, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Wes Craven's Invitation to Hell
- Filming locations
- 5612 Maricopa Drive, Simi Valley, California, USA(Winslow Home)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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